Top Dog
by Pied Piper 1830
Summary: [Complete] With the arrival of a new dog in Kagome's life, InuYasha suddenly finds himself competing for the position of top dog.
1. Kagome's POV

Top Dog: Kagome's POV

There was darkness all around her and Kagome found herself completely and utterly alone, forced to face Naraku without a single companion. He advanced on her and, to her horror, Kagome realized that her limbs were bound in some way and she could neither run nor draw an arrow. She was trapped; trapped and without anyone to give her aid, and with Naraku coming steadily closer. Finally he arrived and Kagome could practically smell the evil seeping off of him; a strange mixture of musty darkness and tuna fish. He poked his tongue out and began to gently lick her nose, mewing softly, as a cat would mew. Suddenly, Kagome felt Inu-Yasha's small hands on her shoulders as he began to shake her. "Someone's here to see you Kagome," his high pitched voice muttered, "you need to wake up."

Groaning, Kagome turned around and glared at, not Inu-Yasha, but Sota; and the darkness she had been trapped in gradually faded into the brightness of her room. She glanced back to her desk and found, not Naraku, but Buyo, who had been licking smeared chocolate milk off her mouth. After taking in her surroundings, Kagome sat back in her chair and rubbed the remaining chocolate milk off her lips then glanced at the clock: 10:38.

Kagome jumped up quickly and spun around to face Sota. "Why didn't you wake me earlier!" she yelled as she ran to her dresser, "School started an hour and a half ago!"

Sota watched her calmly for a minute and yawned. "It's Saturday," he said, "Mom wanted me to tell you that someone's at the door."

Kagome blinked then breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh really, who?"

He shrugged. "Dunno, some guy with a present." With his mission accomplished, Sota turned and left the room.

"That would be Hojo," Kagome muttered as she quickly put on a skirt and cardigan,

"come to present me with his latest remedial gift." She ran a brush through her hair and glanced at herself in the mirror. 'Not too bad,' she though, 'especially for someone who's probably fighting off some life threatening illness.' She glanced at the clock again: 10:47, which left her with a bit of time before Inu-Yasha decided she was late enough and came to drag her back to the feudal ages, but she still needed to get Hojo out of her house as quickly as possible. After pinching her cheeks to give them some colour, Kagome put on a bright grin and went downstairs.

Hojo gave her a sympathetic smile when she arrived before his face lit up into an expression of adoration. "You truly are amazing Higurashi," he said, "to put on such a happy façade just for me."

Kagome blinked at him. "Happy . . . façade?" she asked.

He nodded knowingly and leaned in as if to tell her a secret. "Your grampa told me about your sudden bout of manic depression; that's such a horrible thing to happen to you, especially right after your liver transplant."

Okay, she could deal with the liver transplant, but the manic depression was going just a bit too far.

Kagome rubbed the back of her neck and laughed weakly. "It's not that bad," she said, "and I'm feeling much better."

"That's great!" Hojo looked positively thrilled at the news. Then, he bent down and picked up a box that was large enough to hold Shippo. "Anyway, they always say that the best thing to help someone who's depressed is company, and since I can't be here all the time to keep you company, I got you someone who can."

'Please don't let it be a dog,' Kagome thought as she took the box, 'it'll traumatize Buyo, who's already been through enough with Inu-Yasha, and it'll make Inu-Yasha jealous.' She opened the box and forced a delighted smile as she peered inside. "A . . . a dog, thank you Hojo."

And a dog it was. It was a small, brown dog with a long nose and body and rather short legs. Rather cute, actually, and Kagome found her forced smile becoming more natural.

"It's a dachshund," Hojo explained, "he's about a year old, and his name is Koishii."

". . . Koishii? That's an . . . adorable name for a dog," Kagome stuttered. 'Inu-Yasha's gonna kill me,' a voice in her head sang, and the dog only reinforced her fear by lovingly licking her fingers. She glanced at the clock and then stared in horror. If she knew him at all, Inu-Yasha was going to be here in any minute. Hojo had to leave. Now.

"Look at the time!" she exclaimed, "I have a . . . doctor's appointment in ten minutes, and I haven't eaten yet!" Kagome smiled at Hojo as she moved towards the door. "Been nice seeing you again and thanks for the dog. I'd love to talk, but I really have to go, bye!" Practically pushing him out the door, Kagome finally got Hojo to leave and turned to face her dog.

"Koishii," she said with disbelief, and the dog wagged its tail upon hearing its name, "Your name is Koishii. Heaven forbid it be fluffy or spot or anything else that doesn't mean beloved. Inu-Yasha's going to-"

"Oi, Kagome!" Kagome spun around to see a disgruntle Inu-Yasha stomping from the direction of her bedroom. "You're late."

"I know I know, I'm sorry," Kagome pleaded as she stepped in front of the dog, "I fell asleep doing homework; I was going to leave in a few minutes. In fact, why don't we go now? My bag's already packed." She gulped as Inu-Yasha's eyes stared pointedly beyond her legs and narrowed dangerously.

"What is that?" he asked slowly, carefully.

Kagome laughed nervously and picked up Koishii. "He's a dog, a dachshund to be exact. Hojo gave him to me because he thought I was depressed."

"Are you?"

"No."

"Then you don't need him." Inu-Yasha reached over, picked up the dachshund by the scruff of his neck, and dropped him into the trashcan, seeming to ignoring the can as it began to rattle and whine. "Let's go."

The horrified girl dashed to the trashcan and pulled out her dog, cradling him to her chest. She then turned to face the half-demon. "That," she seethed, "was completely inappropriate and you should be ashamed of yourself." Said half-demon snorted and Kagome continued, "You do not put living creatures in the trashcan!"

"Why not? You don't need it."

"It is a he, and we'll see if I need him or not." Kagome glared at Inu-Yasha, then put the dog down and turned on her heel. "I am going to go pack, and you are going to wait outside until I'm ready."

"But you said you had already packed-"

"I lied," Kagome interrupted and left before he could say anything more. She was probably going to regret leaving Inu-Yasha with her dog, but Kagome decided to trust him to not do anything too stupid: he would know the consequences if he went out of line.

In her room, Kagome grabbed her yellow back and began her packing routine as she tried to calm down. Sleeping bag and clothes first, better only take a few outfits to save space; she could wash them along the way. She glanced outside: Inu-Yasha was pouting in a tree, and Koishii was sniffing some bushes; good.

Next came bathroom stuff: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, two small towels, bag of Kleenex to use for toilet paper, and girl stuff. She glanced out her window: pouting, sniffing; good.

Now the schoolbooks: history (always useful in the feudal ages, you never know just who you might meet) and math were the ones she always brought, but she would probably need to bring her science book as well, just to catch up. Kagome glanced out her window again: pouting, sniffing; good.

First aid kit next. Kagome opened it up to make sure she had everything: gauze, anti-bacterial cream, alcohol, needle and thread, aspirin . . . She glanced out her window once more: chocking, struggling . . . crap. Cursing, Kagome flew down the stairs and out into her yard. "Inu-Yasha, sit!"

Inu-Yasha dropped the dog and fell to the ground. "What the hell did you do that for!" he yelled into the dirt.

Kagome picked up the shaking dog and held him to her chest. "Why the hell were you trying to kill him!"

"He was peeing on my tree!"

"He's a dog!"

"It's my tree!"

Kagome watched as the subdued half-demon lifted his head off the ground and stared at her dog, then began to sputter. "Look what it's doing!"

She glanced down at Koishii, who was currently nuzzling at her heart, and felt the dog's fast beating heart slow down as he calmed. "What?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha forced the top half of himself off the ground. "It's . . . it's . . ."

"He's what?" Satisfied that Koishii had calmed down enough, Kagome set him back on the ground

Inu-Yasha shook his head and sat up completely, his face red. "It's . . . it's . . . it's nuzzling at you jugs!"

There was a beat of silence as both Kagome and Inu-Yasha comprehended what was just said, then Inu-Yasha flattened his ears against his head and Kagome advanced on him slowly. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, please don't sit me."

"Oh, and why would I do that?" Not giving him time to answer, Kagome placed her hands on her hips and glared down at him. "Inu-Yasha: sit!" She watched in satisfaction as Inu-Yasha face planted the ground once more, and then glanced at Koishii, who had also obeyed the command as if to prove his obedience. "Come on Koishii, let's go get some lunch."

"What the hell did you say his name was!" Despite having his face in the ground, Inu-Yasha sounded surprisingly loud.

"Koishii, idiot." With that said, Kagome picked up her dog and stormed back to the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. "I can't believe he just did that," she muttered as she grabbed a pan and poured water in it, "Koishii's just a dog, just a poor, innocent dog." She put the pot on the stove and turned the heat on, then glanced down at Koishii, who was looking up at her and wagging his tail. "And a cute dog too." Smiling, Kagome looked inside the box that Koishii had come in and pulled out a leash, two dog bowels, a few dog bones, and a small bag of dog food. She pulled out one of the bones and was about to hand it to Koishii when a dirt covered Inu-Yasha stormed in and grabbed the bone right out of her hand.

He sniffed the bone and examined it closely. "What's this?"

Not knowing whether to be angry or amused, Kagome just shook her head. "It's a milk bone, for Koishii."

"Well, it's mine now." Inu-Yasha shoved the whole bone into his mouth, then froze as he tried to bite it into small pieces. "It's wather hawd," he mumbled.

"Because it's meant for dogs, not humans, demons, or half demons, but dogs." She took another milk bone out and handed it to Koishii, who ate it with little problem.

Inu-Yasha's eyes hardened. "If he ca' ea' i', so ca' I." He crushed down hard and destroyed the offending bone, then looked at Kagome with triumph in his eyes.

Kagome, however, did not look pleased. "Is that what this is all about?" she asked angrily, "being better than Koishii? He's a dog Inu-Yasha."

"So? He needs to learn to his place."

Kagome started to say something then shook her head and walked over to the stove, pouring a package of ramen noodles into the pot of now boiling water. She took a few deep breaths and set the timer.

Inu-Yasha spoke up after a few minutes. "Is that for me?" His voice sounded tentative and hopeful, and Kagome turned around with a smile on her face.

"Of course it's not for you Inu-Yasha, ramen noodles are people food. By competing with my dog, you've decided that you're not a people anymore, you're a dog, and dogs don't eat people food now do they?" She poured some of the dog food into a bowel and placed it at Inu-Yasha's feet. "Dog's eat dog food, so there's your lunch. Eat up!" With the same sickeningly sweet smile on her face, Kagome reached up and scratched Inu-Yasha's ear, did the same for Koishii, then turned back to her ramen noodles.

". . . I'm not a dog Kagome." Inu-Yasha muttered, but Kagome refused to give in. She poured the flavoring into her ramen noodles, poured her ramen noodles into a bowel, and walked to the table.

"The stop acting like one," she said and purposely choose the cushion where her back would be to him. Not looking around, Kagome took a bite and let loose a soft moan of contentment. She completely ignored Inu-Yasha as he sat in front of her and continued eating.

"I'm really hungry," Inu-Yasha mumbled.

"Then make yourself something to eat."

"I'm not allowed to use the heat box, remember?"

Kagome finally looked up and found Inu-Yasha's eyes fixated on her chopsticks. She raised them up and his eyes went up. She lowered them and his eyes went down. Moved them to the left and his eyes went to the left; to the right and his eyes went to the right. She made a star and his eyes followed; a spiral and his eyes followed. Finally getting annoyed with this game, Kagome brought the chopsticks to her mouth just as Inu-Yasha leaned in to get a bite.

Their lips collided, and Kagome found herself lip to lip with Inu-Yasha, staring up at his eyes as he stared down at hers. She was too embarrassed to continue with what could be called her first kiss, accidental though it was, but at the same time . . . she didn't want it to end either. It was Inu-Yasha who eventually broke away and leaned back.

"Uh . . ." Inu-Yasha bite his lip and scratched the back of his head.

Kagome started to speak, then gasped as Koishii jumped onto her lap and began licking her lips, his tongue moving almost as fast as his tail. Inu-Yasha growled and pulled him off by the collar, dropping him on the ground with a snort. "Stupid dog doesn't know when to quit does he?"

"Inu-Yasha!"

"What! It's true isn't it? Why else would he start slobbering all over you?"

"How is it any different than what you were doing?" Kagome flinched as Inu-Yasha's face flamed up and he looked away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that . . ."

"Then how the hell did you mean it?"

Kagome shook her head and thought for a minute. She could easily fix the situation by making Inu-Yasha some ramen noodles and explain what she meant while he ate, or she could try something just a bit more daring.

"Like this," Kagome said as she leaned over and pressed her lips to Inu-Yasha's.

When Kagome would look back on that kiss, it would not be the movement of their lips that would make her smile, but the expression in his eyes that would warm her heart on even the coldest days. His expression had been so surprised at first, then it had grown so calm and so peaceful. He looked . . . happy. Finally, Kagome pulled away and smiled at the blushing Inu-Yasha before standing up.

"I'll go get my bag," she announced. Leaving before he could say a word, she ran to her bedroom and spun around a few times, feeling like nothing else in the world mattered but what had just occurred. Finally, she grabbed her bag and practically skipped downstairs.

Inu-Yasha was waiting for her with a smug smirk on his face, and he grabbed her bag when she arrived. Kagome glanced at Koishii to make sure he wasn't dead or injured in any way before looking at Inu-Yasha. "What did you do?" she asked.

"Do?" he replied innocently, "I didn't _do_ anything." He flashed her a cocky grin before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the house.

fin

A/N: Inu-Yasha POV next, I'll try my hardest to have it out by Wednesday (the 30th of March) but I'll make no promises. Please don't forget to review: I appreciate all the reviews I receive and they make the writing process much more enjoyable to know that someone's actually reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha and am making no profits in writing this.


	2. InuYasha's POV

Top Dog: Inu-Yasha's POV

"You're late Kagome," Inu-Yasha muttered as he stared up at the sun, "You said you'd be back by mid morning." The sun had definitely passed the 'mid' part of the sky and was now growing steadily closer to the 'noon' part. But did he truly want Kagome to feel like she was missed by going to fetch her? On the other hand, did he truly want to sit here and glare at the sun until she decided to grace him with her presence?

Inu-Yasha's stomach growled, and he glanced down at it in annoyance. Damn he was hungry. Try as he might, he just couldn't bring himself to eat the bland village food when he knew that the flavorful food of Kagome's time would be within his reach in three days time. Inu-Yasha grinned suddenly: there was the perfect excuse to go fetch the late girl. All he had to do was claim he was hungry, and Kagome would never suspect that he had actually stared at the sky for three days time in lonesome.

Not that he had stared at the sky for three days in lonesome, no, of course not.

Inu-Yasha peered over the edge of Kaede's roof and scanned the area. No one was in sight, good. He lifted his head up and sniffed into the wind. He could smell Miroku's stench; barely discernable from the aroma of about eight women, one of who was Sango, furious most likely. And Shippo? Inu-Yasha sniffed again. He was eating what smelt like one of Kagome's strange-bagged potatoes. Inu-Yasha felt himself growling in annoyance. Where the hell had Shippo gotten those? Inu-Yasha was almost certain that he had consumed the last one. He snorted; stupid fox probably buried a bag or something, probably tasted like dirt. Taking one last sniff and glance to be assured of his privacy, Inu-Yasha hopped off the roof and began to stalk towards the well with the utmost stealth.

"Good day Inu-Yasha!" Inu-Yasha felt his ears press against his head as he heard Kaede's voice call from inside her hut. Damn it, he should have remembered the hag! "Dost thou go to fetch Kagome? Will ye tell her that" He never heard the rest of the sentence: at the word "Kagome," Inu-Yasha had crouched down then sprang up and fled out of earshot; fleeing as quickly as he could to the well.

He stopped a few feet before the well and peered around. No one was in sight. Inu-Yasha felt himself sighing with relief as he swung himself over the well and into the future. He landed with a thud on the other end and scaled the well wall in one leap then glanced around the well house. No Kagome. Probably still in bed or something, lazy girl. 'Well then,' Inu-Yasha thought as he stomped out of the well house, 'I'll just have to go wake her now won't I?' He scaled the wall of her house just as easily has he had scaled the wall of the well house and rapped twice on her window. No answer. Should he just go in?

Inu-Yasha could very clearly remember what had happened last time he entered without rapping first, and he felt his cheeks grow red at the thought. Kagome had been dancing with, what was it called again? A hair-brush held up to her mouth, all the while pretending to sing some ridiculously loud song that was projecting from her music box, but that wasn't the worst part. No, the worse part had been the fact that the dancing girl was wearing nothing more than a fluffy pink towel and that she hadn't noticed him until she spun around; his face had been nice and red by that time and there was no use him denying that he had been staring at her. Predictable as always, Kagome had sat him a few times then topped it off by chucking the brush at his flattened form.

Inu-Yasha winced at the remembrance of that and rapped a few more times just to be sure. Deciding that Kagome would have responded by now if she was in a state of undress, he pulled open the window and toppled into the room. Empty, but it smelt as if she had only left a few minutes ago. He snorted. Lazy girl had slept in after all. He glanced over at her empty yellow backpack and glared: lazy girl hadn't even packed yet! Stomping out of her room, Inu-Yasha made his way to the direction of the lazy girl's scent.

"Oi, Kagome!" Inu-Yasha watched with satisfaction as the startled girl spun around quickly. Good, she should be scared. "You're late!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," she pleaded and Inu-Yasha blinked at her. Since when did Kagome apologize? "I fell asleep doing my homework," she continued, "I was going to leave in a few minutes. In fact, why don't we go now? My bag's already packed."

'It it not you dirty liar,' Inu-Yasha thought as he looked her over. Just what are you trying to hide? Wait a minute: what the hell is that? "What is that?" he asked as calmly as he could muster. It looked like an oversized egg roll with feet and a tail, but it certainly didn't smell like one.

Kagome laughed and picked up the egg roll. "He's a dog," she began, and Inu-Yasha snorted. That thing was not a dog. "a dachshund to be exact." A dach what? "Hojo gave him to me because he thought I was depressed."

"Are you?"

"No."

"Then you don't need him." Inu-Yasha picked up the egg roll by the scruff of his neck and dropped it in Kagome's waste bucket. Problem solved. "Let's go."

Inu-Yasha gapped as Kagome ran to the bucket and pulled out the egg roll, then held it like a baby. "That," she seethed, "was completely inappropriate and you should be ashamed of yourself." He snorted. "You do not put living creatures in the trashcan!"

"Why not, you don't need it?"

"It is a he, and we'll see if I need him or not." Inu-Yasha stared in horror as Kagome glared at him and took the side of the egg roll of a dog. "I am going to go pack," she continued, "and you are going to wait outside until I'm ready."

"But you said you had already packed-" Not that he had believed her or anything.

"I lied."

Ouch. Inu-Yasha stared as Kagome stormed off, and then glanced down at the egg roll. It was glaring at him! He started to advance on the dog before stopping and settled for a good threat instead. "You'd better be thankful I'm nice," he said with a sneer, "or I would have pounded you into the ground ten minutes ago." With that said, Inu-Yasha walked over the egg roll dog and into Kagome's yard, jumping into the large tree that he had claimed as his own.

Beneath him, the stupid dog pranced into the yard as if he owned it and began to smell the bushes; his tail held high in the air. 'Stupid dog's almost as bad a Kouga,' Inu-Yasha thought with a glare, 'and I outa' pound him right now.' He glanced at Kagome's window and sighed: getting pounded himself with just one word was not the best way to show his superiority. The stupid dog wasn't doing anything too bad right now: if he stayed out of Inu-Yasha's way, he would be allowed to live. Inu-Yasha smirked, leaned back against the bark, and watched the stupid dog sniffing the grass. He then stared in horror as the same stupid dog pranced over to his tree (as if he owned it!), lifted up his right leg, and promptly began marking _his_ tree with urine!

That was it, there was no way in hell that stupid dog was getting away with such a blatant provoke on his superiority. Inu-Yasha jumped off his tree and wrapped his long fingers around the stupid dog's stupid neck. He wasn't going to kill it, of course not, just let it suffer for a few minutes.

He should have expected the sitting, he really should of, but Inu-Yasha was in too much of a rage to do little more than shove the stupid dog out from underneath him as Kagome yelled, "Sit!" What? Crushing the puny thing under his weight was probably not the best idea at the moment.

"What the hell did you do that for!" Inu-Yasha yelled as he spat dirt out of his mouth. Was that a worm trying to wiggle up his nose? Probably. Life sucked.

"Why the hell were you trying to kill him!"

"He was peeing on my tree!"

"He's a dog!"

"It's my tree!" Inu-Yasha forced his head up out of the dirt and away from the worm, and stared in horror at the stupid dog, which was currently being cradled by Kagome. It looked awfully content there with its head _nuzzled into her breasts_! "Look what it's doing!" Not only was the dog stupid, it was even more perverted than Miroku, and getting away with it!

Kagome, however, did not seem to notice. "What?"

Inu-Yasha forced the top half of himself off of the ground. Please say he didn't have to spell it out for her. "It's . . . It's . . ."

"He's what?" Kagome set the perverted dog onto the ground. Now eye level with Inu-Yasha, the dog gave him a look of such complete cockiness and superiority that would have made Sesshomaru proud.

Inu-Yasha sat up completely and shook his head. "It's . . ." Groping you? No, that made it sound like Miroku, and she liked him. "It's . . ." Pressing its head against your soft breasts? Hell no! Just pick one, damn-it! "It's nuzzling at your jugs!" Nuzzling at your jugs! What the hell was that! Inu-Yasha pressed his ears against his head as he Kagome advanced on him.

"What did you say?" she asked slowly.

"Nothing," Inu-Yasha said quickly, "please don't sit me."

"Oh, and why would I do that?" Crap, he was so screwed.

She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at him. "Inu-Yasha: sit!" Inu-Yasha made sure to keep his mouth shut this time as he plunged face first into the dirt. "Come on Koishii," Inu-Yasha heard Kagome say, "let's go get some lunch."

Wait a minute . . .

"What they hell did you say his name was!"

"Koishii, idiot." Inu-Yasha stared at the dirt in horror. She had named the stupid perverted dog Koishii? Beloved? Forcing his face out of the dirt, Inu-Yasha glared at the mutt through the window. Stupid thing had long surpassed Kouga; stupid thing made Kouga look like he had a stupid childhood crush. Inu-Yasha was going to get that poor excuse for a dog.

Finally able to free himself from the dirt, Inu-Yasha stormed from the yard and into Kagome's kitchen. Inside, Kagome was giving the stupid dog what appeared to be an oddly shaped cookie, and Inu-Yasha found that he no longer had any problem with taking whatever it was from the dog: if the stupid mutt was trying to steal Kagome away from him, Inu-Yasha would steal right back.

Not that he actually wanted or desired Kagome, no, of course not.

He snatched the brown . . . cookie thing right from out of Kagome's hands and sniffed. Hm, it didn't exactly smell like a cookie, but it didn't smell bad either. "What's this?" he demanded.

Kagome shook her head. "It's a milk bone," she said, "for Koishii."

Is that so? "Well, it's mine now." Inu-Yasha shoved the whole thing into his mouth and bit down, then froze. He bit again and failed once more. Crap, probably shouldn't have tried to bite the thing with his dull molars. "It's wather hawd," he mumbled.

To his horror, Kagome looked amused. "Because it's meant for dogs, not humans, demons, or half demons, but dogs." She took out another bone and handed it to Koishii, who easily bit it into small pieces.

Inu-Yasha felt his eyes narrow. "If he ca' ea' i', so ca' I." He bit down one more time and succeeded, giving Kagome a triumphant look as a rather tasty flavor filled his mouth. 'Not half bad,' he thought.

"Is that what this is all about!" Kagome asked and Inu-Yasha winced when he heard the anger in her voice, "being better than Koishii? He's a dog Inu-Yasha."

And Miroku was just a monk, right? "So? He needs to learn his place."

Inu-Yasha flattened his ears as he waiting for the inevitable sitting, then blinked as Kagome stormed away to the heat box. Was she boiling water? Was she actually not mad at him anymore, and was now making him ramen to apologize for how rude she was being? "Is that for me?" Inu-Yasha asked, hardly believing his eyes.

"Of course it's not for you Inu-Yasha," she said with a smile, and Inu-Yasha felt his heart wilt, "ramen noodles are people food. By competing with my dog, you've decided that you're not a people anymore, you're a dog, and dogs don't eat people food now do they?" She poured some of the dog food into a bowel and placed it at Inu-Yasha's feet. "Dog's eat dog food, so there's your lunch. Eat up!"

Inu-Yasha didn't even swat her hand away when she scratched his ear, instead staring into the bowel of brown pebbles. It actually didn't smell half bad, but the fact that it was meant for a dog (or, more importantly, _that_ dog) made it horrible. "I'm not a dog Kagome," he muttered, but Kagome didn't seem to care.

"Then stop acting like one." She sat with her back to Inu-Yasha and proceeded to eat the ramen.

His ears wilted when he smelt the delicious aroma. Maybe if he acted pitiful enough . . . "I'm really hungry," he tried.

"Then make yourself something to eat."

At least she wasn't expecting him to eat the pebbles, that was a start. "I'm not allowed to use the heat box, remember?"

She didn't respond, and Inu-Yasha sat in front of her, staring at her chopsticks. He really was hungry. To his utter humiliation, Inu-Yasha found himself following the food with his eyes though whatever pattern Kagome felt like making: lines, stars, spirals, etc. 'Okay, this is getting ridiculous,' he though, 'I'm eating it.' He leaned forward and attempted to snag the food just as Kagome moved it away from her mouth.

After the initial shock, Inu-Yasha's first though when their mouths collided was how soft Kagome's lips were. Within seconds her scent had engulfed him but Inu-Yasha found himself pulling away before he became too relaxed. He stumbled for words as he scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to do. Then, to his utter annoyance, then stupid perverted dog jumped onto Kagome's lap and began to slobber all over her face! "Stupid dog doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Inu-Yasha said when he pulled the dog off by his collar.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome yelled, and Inu-Yasha blinked.

"What, it's true isn't it? Why else would he start slobbering all over you?"

"How is that any different than what you were doing?"

Inu-Yasha looked away quickly. Okay, now that was below the belt; to use an expression Kagome had used before.

Not that he cared what she said or felt, no, of course not.

"I'm sorry," Kagome stuttered, "I didn't mean it like that . . ."

"Then how the hell did you mean it!"

There was a moment of silence. "Like this," Kagome finally said as she leaned over and pressed her lips against Inu-Yasha's.

'Her lips are really, really soft' Inu-Yasha thought as he stared up at her. Just as before, her scent clouded his mind and within seconds, he felt an air of peace settle around him. Kagome finally pulled away, all too soon.

"I'll go get my bag," she announced before running off, leaving Inu-Yasha alone with the stupid perverted dog.

He watched her go and then peered down at the defeated dog. "I'm top dog," he announced proudly, then looked away as Kagome arrived again.

"What did you do?" she asked suspiciously, looking between Inu-Yasha and the dejected Koishii.

"Do?" Inu-Yasha replied, "I didn't do anything." He smirked as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the house.

Fin

A/N: only a day late, I can deal with that . I'll try to have the next and final chapter out by next Sunday (the 3rd of April); I'd like/will try to have it out earlier, but I can't promise anything.

Thank you Lillia Karasu, Lil Dev G, Azmidiske, Missyblue, SweetSarya, Newbie GK, and mari333 on and chaoskyesfallenangel on mediaminer for your reviews; they really meant a lot to me and gave me a great deal of inspiration to get this chapter out so quickly. Again thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha and am making no profits in writing this.


	3. Koishii's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha.

A/N: This story is a little less than a year old, and one that's been on the back of my mind to finish for awhile now. Anyway, I found the half-finished final chapter and decided to go ahead and complete it while I was on winter break. So, here it is! Enjoy, and please do leave a review if you feel so inclined.

Warning: Some perverted images. Just imagine what must go through Miroku's mind when presented with the image of a fully clothed woman, and you should get the idea.

Top Dog: Koishii's POV

My tale truly is one of tragedy and despair, of heartbreaks and betrayals, and of long nights in the pouring rain, completely and utterly alone. My father was a figure whom I never met, and my mother was always distant and did not give me the love a puppy so desperately needed. Of all my littermates, I was the strongest and the smartest; and for this, I was ridiculed without an end in sight. Finally, after eight long weeks of this humiliation, I left the only home I had ever known to venture into the new world out Outside.

I wandered in that strange new world for many days and soon became a miserable sight to behold: a wretched pup with ragged fur and shrunken stomach, a pup whose eyes held the misery of the world. It was in this state that I was found by one of the most beautiful women in all the world: a young maiden with hair as red as a fire-hydrant and with a name of "Foxy." Foxy took me to the man of her house; a man whom was affectionately called "Mr. Pimp" by all, and he taught me all that I know today. He taught me the basics, of course (sitting, staying, rolling over, playing dead, doing my business on the neighbor's property), and then from there, he taught me how to expand upon the basics. For example, when rolling over or playing dead, always do it in the direction of a young lady to gain better view of the world beneath her skirt. The year I spent with Mr. Pimp was a year of intellect and learning; but, like all good things, that year would soon end. Without warning, some men in uniform entered the loving home of Mr. Pimp and took him away; and I was left alone once more.

My loneliness this time did not end happily and with a loving family, but in a cold, metal prison surrounded by other dogs that did not share my love of humans and, more importantly, females. Many nights were spent there before I finally found freedom in the face of a young boy by the name of Hojo; but I much prefer to call him Bozo, so Bozo it will be (this is my tale after all, and I am free to make any alterations I so desire). Bozo took me to his home and there I met his overly-sensitive father, his portly but attractive mother, and his younger sister that was even too young for my tastes (and I am not picky). Fearful that I was doomed for a life with a woman much too old for me, I settled down in my new home and discovered, to my utter horror, that many of the rules I had learned and lived by were not acceptable here. My doom seemed even more eminent, and I soon fell into a state of deep and permanent depression.

It was also here that I gained the name of "Koishii." One cannot realize the awkwardness of a man being called such a name by another man.

However, my tale did not end with Bozo and his family but with another of whom I was given as a gift, though I did not realize it at the time. It started off as a perfectly ordinary day when I was suddenly yanked from my slumber and placed in a small, rather uncomfortable box. I whined and pleaded to be let out, but to no avail. Oh, if only I had known at the time what a beautiful fate awaited me at the other end.

I do not recalled how long the journey was from Bozo's house to my new home (one has no sense of time when cowering in the corner of a box), but I do recall those glorious seconds when I first looked upon the face of my new owner.

She had the most beautiful face of any creature I had ever met. Her eyes were wide and shocked at first (most likely at my own beauty) then grew gentle and loving. Her lips (oh sweet gentle lips!) were a crimson red and as my eyes went lower, I beheld the gentle swell of her breasts beneath a pale pink cardigan; proof in its most simple way of her womanhood and fertility. Traveling lower still, my eyes saw her long, shapely legs that were barely hidden beneath an oh-so-short skirt. I would have played dead for her right then and there if not for her long, slender fingers presenting themselves to my nose. I licked them and tasted her sweet skin for the first time.

It was then I realized that I was in love; there would be no other woman for me. This gentle creature (named Kagome) would be mine, and I would willingly be hers. And when she said my name, I suddenly found myself loving what I once had hated: "beloved," yes, I am your beloved.

Then, to my horror, another man walked (more like stomped) into my life and the life of my beloved Kagome. She placed herself in front of me with the protective attitude only a lover can posses, and I knew that this new man was trouble.

He was wearing a most horrendous outfit that was most likely created by cutting four holes into a red bed sheet. His hair was the colour of diapers and he had, what were they? cat ears for sure, sticking out of his diaper hair. He was nothing more than an insolent kitten that did not even deserve the attention of my beloved Kagome.

Insolent kitten though he was, the strange man was still bigger and stronger than I, and I soon found myself cowering as the insolent kitten spied me. But my beloved Kagome gently picked me up and held me; and I was safe from the insolent kitten's urine coloured eyes, at least for the moment. However, I soon found myself plunged (by the kitten) headfirst into the strangest container, which smelt, I must admit, delightfully of food. I was just about to take a bite out of what appeared to be an egg roll when I was pulled out by my back legs and held in the arms of my beautiful lady.

Naturally, I soaked up the loving for all it was worth and could not help but to throw a contemptuous glance at the insolent kitten as he sputtered, apparently in a rage. Poor, thing, I almost felt bad for him . . . but not quite.

The next thing I knew, I was back on the ground, my beautiful lady had walked away, and I was left alone with the kitten. I gave him the dirtiest look I could muster, then I could barely hide a smirk as he seemed to mutter some threat at me. Stupid idiot, he should have known that I don't speak cat.

After muttering the useless threat, the kitten then proceeded to stomp out of the kitchen (can he even walk? I had always heard that kittens were graceful) and into the yard. I sighed. Though I had no desire to, I knew that I must take it upon myself to watch after this kitten lest he destroy the property of my beloved Kagome. I cast a final glance in the direction my fair lady had gone, then followed the kitten.

The moment I stepped outside I was confronted with the most delightful array of scents that my nose had every encountered. Flowers of every shape and size filled the yard and even the grass held traces of Kagome's sweet scent. But where was the kitten? Ah yes, there he was, sitting in the branches of rather tall tree (as cats seem to enjoy doing). Most likely, we would be confronted with the difficult job of getting him down later because, if I recall correctly, kittens have a problem getting down off a tree once they've gotten on one. However, I would deal with that problem later; I had a much larger problem to deal with. By the look on the kitten's face, he clearly felt that that tree belong to him, but I clearly knew it to be otherwise. I trotted over to the tree, lifted up my right leg, and claimed ownership of the tree in the most powerful way.

It was _my_ tree.

Suddenly, I felt strong hands with rather sharp claws curl around my neck, and before I knew it, I was lifted off the ground by the rather tall kitten. Perhaps kitten may not be the best word to use in this situation: lion might be more appropriate but, seeing as how I don't want to increase his ego, I'll use lioness instead.

As the lioness lifted me off the ground, I felt my life flash before my eyes and I saw the pure hatred etched in the eyes of my captor. Perhaps I had underestimated him, but it was too late to decide that now.

But I should have never doubted for a moment the dedication of my lady. Just as before, she arrived in the nick of time, though I'll have to admit that I was a little surprised when she yelled "sit." How on earth was I supposed to do that when I was being held ten feet off the ground? Imagine my intense delight when it was not I who was supposed to sit but the kitten, and sit he sure did, though it was more like laying down than sitting, but no one really expects that much from cats anyway.

With the cat currently forming an indention in the dirt, I did my best at playing the victim here. I whined and shook like it was winter, and was delighted when my fair lady lifted me up and pressed me to her chest.

Oh sweet chest, the most delightful part of a women; and I fully intended to enjoy every moment of it. I pressed my nose into the soft flesh and nuzzled it, inhaling her gentle scent and closing my eyes to better imagine her without a shirt. Sadly, my joy was short lived.

For reasons still unbeknownst to me, my sweet Kagome set me down even before I had had a chance to truly enjoy her curves. Perhaps she was a private lady? If that was the case, I would be glad to accommodate her desires (and I had to admit that I wasn't too keen on spending quality time with my lady while the kitten was in earshot).

A kitten who was currently getting my lady very, very angry. Even though the kitten had yet to rise from his prostrate position, my beautiful lady yelled sit once more and the foolish kitten seemed to press himself even further into the ground. I felt my loving eyes narrow: was that foolish kitten trying to prove his obedience to a woman who would never love him? Not to be outdone, I obediently sat down and gazed at my lady with adoring eyes.

She returned my gaze and I heard her say with her beautiful siren's voice, "Come (something) Koishii, (something something something)."

I stood to follow, then heard that silly cat yowling something else. I was just about to tell him to go lick himself when my beautiful and full breasted Kagome called my name once more, picked me, and walked away with me in her arms.

Before I could truly celebrate, I felt myself being lowered to the ground as my beloved lady began to walk around the room. Hmmm . . . it appeared that I had fallen in love with a woman who believed in playing hard to get. No matter, I know how to win even the coldest hearts; my warm hearted Kagome would be no problem. I simply stared up at her with adoration in my wide eyes and wagged my tail in a small, hopeful sort of way. I saw my lady smile at me, then walk over to the box I had been so rudely placed in that morning and bend down.

Oh sweet lord, her skirt was shorter than sin, and never had I seen such long, slender legs as I was seeing displayed before me. She bent more, and heaven was revealed to me in the form of a pair of cute little pink panties with flowers on them. I felt my jaw drop and my tongue come out, and I sat there, panting like a lunatic. I must gain control of myself, I must not allow her to see how truly captivated I am by her slender legs and well formed-

DOG BONE DOG BONE DOG BONE DOG BONE BONE BONE BONE BONE BONE!!!! Oh yes, oh yes, this heaven! The bone came close and closer, I felt myself salivating and then suddenly . . . it was gone. I stopped and looked around. The bone was gone. What had happened to it? Bones don't vanish, something must have happened to it. Someone must have taken it. Then I saw the culprit. That stupid, smelly, tune-breathed kitten with the diaper coloured hair and the urine eyes had not only tried to steal my chick, but he had now succeeded in stealing my bone. This was inexcusable, there was nothing more to say. The stupid kitten couldn't even eat it properly! The kitten would have to die.

Then: DOG BONE DOG BONE DOG BONE DOG BONE BONE BONE BONE BONE BONE!!!! Oh yes, oh yes, this is heaven returned! My beautiful Kagome had pulled another bone out and placed it before me, and I allowed myself to savory its sweet, milky taste. Once the bone was properly in my stomach, I laid down and allowed myself the pleasure of observing my woman. I smiled inwardly when I realized she was probably making me dinner. Thoughtful thing, isn't she?

Suddenly, I saw her place a bowl of my food in front of the kitten. She scratched his ear and then mine. Second, since when had I become second? I felt my heart quickly freeze over as I stared between the two of them. What had just happened? My beautiful lady appeared to still be mad at the kitten, yet she fed him and not me. My previously frozen heart began to crack as I felt all hope fade away. I had lost to a cat. But I cannot loose! I had never lost before! Oh yes, now I see: my lady is making my food as opposed to using the pre-made pebbles that Bozo had used. Such a kind woman.

Then she sat down with her back to both of us and began to eat. There was no food for me. Maybe the kitten had made her so angry that she was now taking out said anger on the two of us! I stared in horror as the kitten moved to sit in front of her and began to follow her food with his eyes. Then, the kitten moved in to take a bite at the same time as my lady. Their lips touched and remained that way for far too long. My poor Kagome must be horrified! too terrified and disgusted to push him away! The moment they parted, I jumped on her lap and began to wipe the filth away from her lips as quickly as I could. That stupid kitten would not get away with this!

However, the stupid kitten was a great deal bigger than me, and I soon found myself being dropped, rather rudely, on the floor. I watched as the two spoke loudly in their strange tongue (if you could call what the kitten did speaking, that is) and then, suddenly, it happened. My beloved Kagome, apple of my eye, soul of my body, leaned in and deliberately pressed her lips against the kitten's. And she seemed to be enjoying it too!

I stared in horror as my beloved ran --no skipped, out of the room. The kitten looked down at my with the most pompous and disgusting smirk on his face. He said something in his strange cat language and I knew that I had lost, and to a kitten, no less. I bowed my head and tucked my tail far between my legs as the two ran off together. How was I to live with the knowledge that I was no longer top dog?

I laid down on the tiled floor of the kitchen for many a long, desolate hour. Then, I heard a voice calling the name of my beloved; a voice that was feminine and more mature than that of my Kagome. I looked up and beheld the most beautiful woman that had ever graced this earth, appearing to be an older and more mature version of the woman who had just broken my heart. This woman bent down and gently picked me up in her tender arms, and as I found myself pressed against the delicate curve of her chest, I knew that I was in heaven once more.

fin


End file.
